


Complete The Circle

by SpellCasterLight



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Multi, Polyamory, Themes of Feeling Unworthy, alternative universe, mild major character injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:41:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29419569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpellCasterLight/pseuds/SpellCasterLight
Summary: She didn't understand, they had found their soulmates, so why were their circles only half filled? [Shikamaru x Tenten x Shino] Naruto AU Week - Day 7 Prompt: Soulmates
Relationships: Aburame Shino/Nara Shikamaru, Aburame Shino/Nara Shikamaru/Tenten, Aburame Shino/Tenten, Nara Shikamaru/Tenten
Kudos: 13
Collections: Naruto AU Week 2021





	Complete The Circle

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way shape or form. This story is purely for entertainment not profit.
> 
> Author's Notes: Day 7 and final day of Naruto AU Week! Now, to tell you the truth, I usually stay away from Soulmate AU's but, when I read the prompt, I had to try my hand at one!
> 
> Happy Valentines day everyone! =D
> 
> Pairing Warning: It also goes without saying but if [Shikamaru x Tenten x Shino] or [Kiba x Ino] isn't your thing turn back now.
> 
> Warnings: Alternative Universe. Mild Major Character Injury. Themes of Feeling Unworthy. Three Way Relationship.
> 
> Naruto AU Week - Day 7 Prompt: Soulmates

Tenten, as most teenage girls did, secretly or not so secretly, stared at the birthmark parallel lines on her left wrist wondering when they would become a whole, filled in band symbolizing she had found her soulmate by making skin to skin contact with them for the first time.

True she didn't obsess over it like a lot of the other girls, but you would have to be completely made of stone to not think about it from time to time.

The only time it had really affected her was when she had been put in a Genin team with Neji and they had shaken hands and her band hadn't lit up a dazzling display of colours to finally settle on the colour of their bond like she wanted it to but she had gotten over it pretty quickly.

"Friend Tenten!"

She sat up in bed then and headed to her glass door, she smiled down at her teammates.

Lee enthusiastically waved at her with both arms while Neji stood beside him with his trademark small smirk.

"Friend Tenten it is time for training!"

The weapons mistress grinned, quickly grabbing her scrolls, and slipping on her shoes.

Yes, the bun haired girl found she had far more important things to worry about than whether her soulmate would just randomly show up or not; if whoever it was showed up great, but until then, she was going to focus on being the best shinobi and friend she could be!

* * *

The mission had been a disaster right from the very beginning, they had been ambushed, they were outnumbered and running low on chakra from a previous attack.

Tenten saw Shikamaru get stabbed through the chest with a sword and had managed to take down the enemy before the blade went too deep into his skin.

"Shikamaru hang on," she told the shaking shadow manipulator once she got him lying flat on the ground.

"Sakura!" Tenten yelled once against cursing her lack of medical jutsu as she undid the Nara's chunnin jacket and pulled his tops up. "Sakura get over here now!"

The weapons user could at least put pressure on wound to stop the flow of blood until the pink haired girl got over to them from across the battlefield.

As soon as she pressed both hands hard into the wound it happened.

Her vision swirled, her chest suddenly filled to the brim with happy feeling after happy feeling and the empty band on both their left wrists starting wildly giving off a beautiful array of colours before finally settling on shining a bright cobalt blue colour for her and a tangerine orange colour on his wrist.

Her and Shikamaru's wide eyes met before she beamed down at him; even with the blood loss he looked ecstatic.

Tenten pressed down harder on the bleeding wound.

"You are _not_ allowed to die Shikamaru do you hear me?"

The bun haired girl felt him place a hand over hers, he even tried to give her a lazy smirk.

"What a drag, I just found you," the shadow user gave a small chuckle making her need to blink away happy tears. "You really think I'm gonna leave now?"

Sakura was over the next second and healing him. Tenten didn't let go of his hand once.

* * *

"I can't believe you and Shikamaru are soulmates!" Ino yelled when Tenten told the girls over tea a few days after they returned from their mission. "I mean, wow! I was beginning to think maybe he was too lazy for a soulmate!"

"That doesn't even make sense," Sakura commented before laughing lightly.

"Bu-But," Hinata started poking her forefinger fingertips together before pointing at her wrist. "Why is only ha-half of it fil-filled in?"

Tenten lifted her wrist then. It was true. She hadn't noticed at the time, too happy that Shikamaru was alive, that she had found her soulmate, to look at her wrist in any detail, but yes, only half her wrist had a colour, half of her band was still empty.

"Is it the same for Shikamaru?" Sakura cautiously asked and Tenten nodded.

"Yea," the weapons user nodded looking at her wrist again. "It is, only half of his wrist is a light orange."

"I've never heard of such a thing," the medical ninja continued. "Even in my medical textbooks I don't ever remember reading anything about your band only half filling."

Tenten's eyes flicked down to Ino's left wrist's band that was a bright candy red colour.

"Was yours filled right from the beginning Ino?"

The blonde hmm'd in confirmation lifting her wrist off the table and rotating it to show the completely filled in band.

"Yea, as soon as Kiba tugged me back by my arm on that walk it was fully coloured in," the Yamanaka let her arm drop and shrugged looking apologetic at her friend. "Sorry Tenten, I can't help you."

The brown-haired girl knew it was a long shot before she even asked.

She didn't understand, they had found their soulmates, so why were their circles only half filled?

* * *

"Shika," Tenten began when she got home, where she knew her soulmate was currently writing up reports and wrapped him up in a hug. "Do you think maybe there's something, you know, _wrong_ with me?"

He frowned at that. "Wrong with you?"

She lifted her head to rest against his chest so she could look up at him. "Yea, I mean, there can't be anything wrong with you, you're perfect," the Nara rolled his eyes and let out an embarrassed laugh at that. "I mean it! You're ridiculously smart, you care and protect everyone, you're so loyal, you go out of your way to help everyone, not to mention you're totally gorgeous," he gave a bashful smile then.

The weapons users own smile fell to be replaced with true worry on her face.

"So, it has to be me, what if I'm broken? What if I can't love properly? What if I become a burden to you? I don't want to hurt you, I don't-"

"What a drag Tenten _sit_ ," the shadow manipulator ordered pulling her over to the three-seater sofa in her living room.

"Tenten there is nothing wrong with you, never say that again," he scolded with a serious look. "I don't care if this never fully colours in," Shikamaru held up his own half formed banded wrist before continuing. "We have each other, I get to be soulmates with a beautiful, caring, fierce kunoichi," Tenten smiled at that. He grinned. "Not to mention the least annoying woman I have ever met." The bun haired girl laughed at that.

"You really think I care about anything else?" He asked her honestly. "Because I don't, and neither should you."

The weapons mistress wrapped him up in another hug and he lay down on the sofa bringing her with him to lie on top of him.

"We'll look into it if you're really worried," Shikamaru continued, his hand playing with one of her buns. "But I'm serious Tenten, I don't care."

She looked up at him again and the firm, sure of himself look he gave made her smile.

"Okay; if you're not worried, I'm not worried."

They shared a smile before he brought her chin up and kissed her for the first time.

* * *

For nearly two years that's how her life was.

Her and Shikamaru dating, completing missions, training with her team, hanging out with the girls, spending time with her friends.

Only in the darkest portions of the night did she look at the half-filled band and wonder what it meant, what they were missing, what they had yet to do.

* * *

All of their friends and old Jonin instructors had gathered together to conduct a group training session. Groups of three against groups of three with the goal of collecting the other groups 'treasure'.

Under Shikamaru's instruction the Nara, Tenten and Sakura had managed to take down Hinata and Choji of the opposing team and now all three were fighting Shino, the last man standing.

It was a tough fight, but they had managed to overpower him.

Shikamaru knelt causing the Aburame, who was caught in his shadow possession jutsu to do the same, Tenten taking that time to take the apple out of Shino's pocket, the prize to symbolise their team had won the match.

"Told you they would win!" Kiba yelled from the side-lines before laughing. "As great as you are Shino, you can't stop soulmates!" The dog owner added making Ino grin and lean against his shoulder as she continued to scratch behind Akamaru's ears.

Tenten took a hold of Shikamaru's hand when he released the jutsu and made his way over to them.

"You almost had us," the weapons user grinned making Shikamaru chuckle. Tenten held out her hand to the Aburame. "Come on, lunch is on us!"

Shikamaru held out his own hand to Shino then as well.

The Aburame took each of their offered hands and that's when it happened.

Once again, her vision was flooded with beaming colour, her entire body filled with euphoric feelings of happiness and joy and the remaining half of her band lit up in a blinding rainbow of colour before filling with a beautiful shining seafoam green.

All three of them looked at each other, ignoring the whispers and shouts from the side-lines that also saw the light show.

"Shi-"

He had disappeared before she could even finish saying his name.

* * *

She had barely managed to stop herself breaking down until they got home.

"What-what does this mean Shika?!" Tenten yelled spinning her left wrist wildly, the half blue, half green band swirling wildly together in a blur.

Shikamaru looked stunned at his own half orange, half emerald green wrist. "We-we have two soulmates."

"But how is that possible?! I don't-we-"

"Think about it," Shikamaru butted in looking stunned at his own words. "When we found each other only half our bands filled in. It's because only half of our soulmate was found."

"I've never heard of-"

"No, neither have I," the shadow manipulator confessed. "But this is our lives. You and he make so much sense your both powerful, creative, people, I'm not-"

"I feel the same way about you two," Tenten input before the Nara could speak badly about himself. "You two are both so incredible and wonderful."

Shikamaru pulled her into a bruising, fierce kiss at that.

"He must feel so alone Shika," the weapons mistress whispered against his lips when he released her, her knuckles turning white from how tightly she was gripping his jacket. "I don't-I don't want him to be alone."

At the distraught look on the Nara's face he cared about Shino just as much as she did.

"We need to talk to him. We-we need to figure this thing out; together."

She nodded, gripping his jacket even tighter.

* * *

Tenten opened the door and her eyes immediately widened at who it was. "Shino..."

She heard Shikamaru behind her, inside the apartment, actually drop the book he was reading.

"May I come in; Tenten?"

"Yes," the weapons user nearly jumped to the side to allow him in. "Please Shino please come in."

The insect user made his way into her living room, standing at the far side, making Shikamaru stand from the sofa slowly, as if he might scare the hive user away.

Shino had been avoiding them for days, no one had seen him, not even Hinata or Kiba and he hadn't been home either, no matter where they looked there was no trace of him. The Aburame was a tracker but also knew how to cover his own tracks, if he didn't want to be found he wasn't going to be.

Now here he was, willingly showing up at her door, appearing before them, but now that he was here, she didn't even know where to start.

They all stood in silence, just staring at each other, wondering who was going to be able to organise their thoughts enough to be able to speak first.

It turned out to be Shino who spoke first.

"I should; not; have run."

"It was a shock," Shikamaru spoke so low, like he was still cautious Shino would bolt. "To us all."

"We tried to find you," Tenten whispered then, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"I know; but I-" Shino paused, taking his hands out of the pockets of his green coat making the weapons mistress look at his covered wrist automatically. "-I needed; time; to process."

Shino seemed to steal himself before continuing.

"All my life I simply did not; believe; I would; ever; find my soulmate."

The thought of her and Shikamaru never finding Shino made her want to simply fall over and weep.

"And now it; appears; I have two and I find myself not knowing; what to do."

The Aburame pulled back his sleeves then to reveal to two coloured band of his wrist, the colours of navy blue and tiger orange looking strangely enticing on his otherwise flawless ivory skin.

"Before this band gained colour I already held you both; in high esteem. You are both talented; and strong; and beautiful;" Tenten felt her breath catch. "Unlike the others I did not; question; why you were bound to each other. To know now that I am; gifted; you two I do not;" his fist clenched then." I do not feel; worthy."

"That's how we feel about you," the bun haired girl whispered making Shikamaru's head nod in agreement fast enough to give him whiplash at her sentence.

"But when I look at my fathers; burnt; band," Tenten winced, that was what happened when your soulmate died, like your band was symbolically burning all the colour out of your life. "And now I am aware that these colours mean you two," Shino lifted his wrist, turning it this way and that for a second to look at the half orange, half blue band. "I imagine you two; dying; and I do not," Tenten actually heard Shino take a deep, unsteady, breath. "I wish to protect you both; to love you both; to-" he cut himself off again. "I do not; wish; to be apart from either of you; I have wasted so much time already."

Tenten placed her hands over her mouth to try to hide her tears and the sob that wanted to break out.

"I do not; know," Shino started again raising his head. "I do not know how to proceed; I have never; been; in a relationship with anyone; never mind with two people."

"That's okay," Shikamaru started, not bothering to hide his tears like she was. "We don't know either."

She felt the need to nod wildly at that, like he had done to back her up earlier.

"We'll figure it out," the Nara continued, taking a few steps towards the both of them. "We'll figure it out together. We'll take it slow; we-we'll all learn as we go."

Again, she nodded wildly.

"We just want you with us Shino."

"I do not; want to be a burden," the hive user repeated those words she, herself, had said to Shikamaru so long ago. "I do not wish to be in your care; only; because of this band-"

"Shino," the weapons mistress cut in then taking a hold of his hand, to ground herself or him she didn't fully know. "Before this band coloured in you were, _are_ , our friend," the brown-haired girl started, and a part of her very soul filled when the insect user gripped her hand back hard. "You are loyal, and caring, and brave, and smart and comforting. Those are the reasons we want you to stay, this-" she held up her left wrist and she saw his head lift to take in her joining colours. "Just makes it even more real, it's just to show how much we already care about you."

In her peripheral she saw Shikamaru come up beside her to place an arm around both her and Shino's waist's.

It was the Aburame that brought them both into a crushing hug then and that's when the happy, relieved sob, escaped her.

She had not one but two amazing, talented, caring, handsome soulmates; her heart was surly about to burst from how happy she was.


End file.
